Katie Cortez: Giving her son the stability she never had

Wednesday

'I've been in so many homes I don't even remember," says Katie Cortez, whose given name is Jacklynne, as she cradled her 4-month-old son, Kyran. "I don't want him to grow up like I grew up."

Cortez's childhood was one spent isolated and in transition. When she was 7, child protective services removed her, along with her three brothers and sister, from their home because of child abuse. She spent about the next 10 years in 15 different foster homes, broken up by 90-day stints in shelters.

Her account of moving from home to home, with her and her siblings shuffling around the state from Round Rock to Copperas Cove, Austin and elsewhere, is like a bad dream on repeat.

When Cortez was 13, she landed in a stable home in Pflugerville, the last one where she would be placed. Cortez still has a good relationship with her former foster mother, who offers financial support when she can.

In a safe environment, things began to look up for Cortez. She reunited with her biological mother in 2008 when Cortez was 16. "She would come visit me, and call me. I would talk to her almost every day," Cortez says. "She tried to change her life around."

Then in April 2009, her mom was hit by a car and killed. The news came less than a year after Cortez and her mother had begun a new relationship after being separated for about a decade.

"I didn't believe them. I thought it was an April Fool's joke," she says, holding back tears.

Depressed, Cortez dropped out of school and began drinking. She moved in with friends and was in the process of getting her General Education Development certificate when she learned she was pregnant.

"After I found out I was pregnant, I decided I definitely needed to go to school," she says. "I want to be able to provide for him."

She enrolled in Austin Community College this semester to pursue a degree in social work, a career for which Cortez says she is well-suited because she understands firsthand what it's like to grow up without a support system.

Going to school while caring for an infant hasn't been easy. Kyran's father watches him when Cortez goes to class because she cannot afford child care. Without a computer or Internet access, she relies on the school computer lab, but children aren't allowed in the labs. Cortez also doesn't have a driver's license, something that's common with former foster children, so she relies on buses.

Not having adequate transportation has made it difficult for Cortez to find a job. For the next year, Cortez will continue to receive assistance with rent as part of 18 months of aid former foster children receive after aging out of the program. After that, it will be another challenge for Cortez to conquer in order to achieve her goal of someday owning a house she and her son can call home.

The Cortez family's wishes

Laptop computer and Internet access for school work; a job; tuition for driver's education; a reliable car with a car seat for a toddler, insurance and gas cards; dining room set including a table and chairs; a rocking chair/recliner; bedroom furniture including a bed and a mattress, a mirror, dresser and nightstands; baby furniture including a dresser and toy box; grocery store cards; a gym membership; financial assistance for reliable day care; toys and books for Kyran; assistance starting a college savings account for Kyran; iPod, clothes for Kyran ranging from 6 months to 2 years; diapers, sizes 3 and 4; women's clothing, casual and professional, size 18 pants, extra-large shirts and size 7 shoes.